Kennedy construction project wraps up – ahead of schedule

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The old Ontario Bridge is gone and the Kennedy construction is completed ahead of schedule.

The much anticipated, and much dreaded, demolition of the Ontario Bridge started last weekend.

The inbound Kennedy was shut down from Chicago to Grand. Driver were sent on a detour to temporary pavement.

To the surprise of drivers, the work finished early and crews were able to open the expressway about a full day earlier than expected.

The work went so well that first weekend, that crews were able to cut the project from three weekends down to two.

As the second weekend kicked off on Friday night with the outbound closure from Grand to Ogden, officials once again prepared drivers for the worst and warned them of a more complicated re-route this time around.

The heaviest delays were seen on the side roads around the closure.

But once again, crews finished nearly a full day ahead of schedule and all lanes were open early Sunday morning.

The project was expected to create a traffic nightmare, but in many cases, it was not nearly as bad as what some expected. People stayed away, they used public transportation and the contractor finished early than expected all helping drivers as well.

While some businesses and drivers may have taken hits, overall officials are saying the project was a success.